Two plea in major drugs and guns case

Two more local individuals among those charged in a major cross-border sting involving alleged illegal guns and drugs, have plead guilty.
Jesse Hill was sentenced on gun charges while Justin Freeman is set to be sentenced on several charges Sept. 14, court files indicate.
As the case veers toward preliminary hearings later this fall, Hill, 31, has reached an early resolution.
Hill, of Tyendinaga, plead to the lesser charge of transfer of a prohibited weapon, after being initially charged with firearms trafficking.
He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 12 months probation, said local assistant Crown Pardeep Bhachu. Hill was also hit with a 10 year weapons ban.
“He’s not to have contact with his co-accused,” Bhachu said. “DNA sample was ordered as well.
“Mr. Hill’s matter is now completely resolved,” Bhachu said.
Court files also show that Freeman, 32, of Tyendinaga, plead guilty to several offences, leading to an early resolution of his case as well. He is set for sentencing Sept. 14.
Freeman was originally charged with six counts of trafficking firearms, two counts of trafficking cocaine, trafficking fentanyl and three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
“He has plead guilty to a count of trafficking, which encompasses all the firearms that he had,” Bhachu said. “Initially, he was charged a count for each of the firearms.
“He has also plead to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking,” the prosecutor said. “He has plead to those three charges. They encompass the activity he was alleged with.”
Upon sentencing Sept. 14, Freeman will have no outstanding matters before the courts, Bhachu said.
Hill and Freeman are the second and third accused, respectively, among the six accused to have plead guilty and face sentencing in relation to Project Silkstone, which culminated with charges being levied against 20 individuals including people from Quebec and Ontario.
The Crown will now focus on the case of Derek Shorey, 33, of Belleville, who is charged with drug trafficking.
“His matter is still before the court,” Bhachu said.
Yvan Leclair, 48, of Shannonville, is also to be dealt with. Leclair was charged with possession of a firearm contrary to prohibition order, trafficking cocaine, and two counts of trafficking in firearms, weapon, device or ammunition.
“His matter is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 10, 11 and 13,” Bhachu said.
Preliminary hearings are conducted to determine if there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial against the accused on all charges. Typically, the hearing done before a judge involves the calling of witnesses as if it were a trial.
The case of Travis Hesketh, 35, of Tyendinaga, is also before the courts.
Hesketh stand charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. His next appearance is set for Sept. 14.
The local six are among more than a dozen people still facing the courts in relation to Project Silkstone. All the cases will be dealt with here, including accused from Quebec.
Though the local Crown offices handled the gun matters linked to Freeman and Hill, the federal prosecutor will be spearheading the bundle of accused still fighting drug charges heading to preliminary hearings, said federal Crown Spencer Shaw.
“The federal prosecution office has the lead on it, but anytime there are firearms the provincial Crown gets involved,” Shaw said. “Firearms charges are typically handled by the provincial Crown.”
Amanda Hewitt, a Quinte West woman who received a 30-month sentence last month after pleading guilty to firearms trafficking charges, under Project Silkstone, is appealing her sentence due to new case law arising that could impact the length of her sentence.
The investigation began by targeting multiple criminal groups trafficking firearms and drugs along the Highway 401 corridor between the Greater Toronto Area through to Montreal, and revealed drug trafficking to the U.S. as well, said OPP officials.
The 18-month investigation involved OPP, the RCMP, Quebec provincial police, Montreal police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Hundreds of officers participated in the investigation, which culminated with 22 simultaneous raids across the province and parts of Quebec.
Over the course of the probe, OPP say investigators seized 11,500 pills containing fentanyl, eight kilograms of cocaine and 7.5 kilograms of ecstasy, among other drugs and drug equipment.
Police claim there was a significant haul of fentanyl, which they alleged was being produced in Montreal and moved into Ontario. Police also seized 23 firearms, including pistols and long guns, as well as Canadian and U.S. currency and $50,000 worth of casino chips as part of the investigation.